Arusha

Arusha

Arusha is a common starting point for Northern Circuit safaris. Kilimanjaro International Airport and Arusha Domestic Airport service the town and after a long flight, it is well worth spending a night or two to recover before heading out on safari. This allows you to recover on sleep so you are full of energy and ready to make the most of your safari and the early morning game drives.

Arusha boasts some lovely relaxing places to stay, such as Arusha Coffee Lodge which is set in lovely gardens with a range of gentle activities on offer.

Itineraries

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What customers are saying after travelling with Tourdust

Average Rating

based on 499 reviews

(5.00/5)

Thanks for all your help in making the arrangements, everything went so smoothly from landing in Jo’burg to departing a week later.

We all had a fantastic time, Kirsty (our youngest) was able to go on all the game drives and we were very well looked after both on the drives and back at the lodge. The food was great, staff were all very friendly & nothing was too much trouble for them (e.g. providing hot milk for Kirsty at bedtime). The kids all enjoyed the rock pool during the day and we all loved the game drives.

We were lucky enough to see all the big 5, with the additions of Cheetah & Wild Dogs. I think it was the second to last day before we managed to see some Hippo (and finally I’ve been able to take some photos of them - I have only ever seen them at night before). We had the adventure of being caught up with some Lionesses stalking a herd of Zebra (one of the younger Lionesses went a bit early & scattered the herd).

We’re certainly aiming to go on safari again although it will be a while before we save enough to go again (maybe the kids will be taking us next time!)

Lawhill Luxury Apartments (Cape Town): We loved the apartments (especially having a ground floor room that we could access the waterside directly from). Only comment would be that it was a bit of a dark path towards them if heading back from the apartments from the v&a after dark.

Wine Tour (Cape Wineland): The wine tour was great - the guide was really knowledgeable and we went to the bird park at Spier and played with Cape foxes and held owls, which was great! The ‘winetasting’ for the kids was great too. At the last vineyard we actually chose to do craft beer tasting rather than wine (to please the husband!!) which was a good option.

Township Tour by Bike (Cape Town): Again, this was great. The guide was very knowledgeable and made us feel very comfortable. We also loved finishing at Mzoli’s barbecue.

Mosaic Sanctuary (nr Hermanus): This was fabulous. We got the room with the best view (no. 2) and it was just lovely. The staff were all fantastic and thoroughly looked after us - we had a welcome drink back from every activity! The kids loved the quad biking and the guide even let them ride their own bike (with him sitting close behind them!). The nature walk and beach trip were both great too. The kids went sand surfing! Food and drink were all lovely.

De Denne Guesthouse (Oudtshoorn): The guesthouse here was probably a bit dated given we had just left Mosaic but the staff here were also lovely, as was the evening meal and the lovely setting (the stars were amazing!). We visited an Ostrich farm and had a guided tour to ourselves, which was great. The kids got to hold a baby ostrich so much excitement!

Fynbos Ridge (Plettenberg Bay): The house at Fynbos Ridge was great and there was so much to do in the area. The owners were lovely and breakfast was great too. We weren’t offered any of the extras noted in the itinerary (evening meal, spa treatment etc) but we weren’t bothered - perhaps it would have been available if we’d asked. The setting was therefore quieter than we had expected but that wasn’t an issue at all - again perhaps just something to note in the itinerary? We do say private nature reserve but we may try to make this clearer as it is quite isolated and long road to get there... I suppose.

Kariega Main Lodge (Eastern Cape Safari) - this was amazing. Apart from the first drive, we had our ranger to ourselves and he was great, really knowledgeable and keen to share. We asked lots of questions too! He made the kids feel very welcome and included. He even included a night drive after dinner to see the nocturnal animals. We weren’t sure if it would be too late for the kids but they fell asleep so we enjoyed it and saw lots! Delighted to hear this about Kariega

Thanks again for organising it for us. We had an amazing trip and are still talking about it to everyone we see!

Transport was great, very reassuring to have all that taken care of and all drivers were polite and helpful. Good to know in advance to have some dirham ready for tips.

Treking: Our guide Hassan, muleteer Centim and chef were great. We’d never been guided before and were a little worried about how it would all work out but Hassan went at a pace that worked for us, always made sure we knew where we were going and happy to answer questions but also to give us some space. Food was such a treat! Beautiful locations and we were thoroughly looked after.

Accommodation. Mountain lodge were brilliant. Very cold at night in Imlil so glad to have layers. Staff helpful, food plentiful and delicious. Ouirgane Eco Lodge was a real treat after the mountains. And the riad. Oh my goodness. We loved it! Breakfast on our own terrace, a pool to cool off in. So much space and so beautifully decorated. We couldn’t believe it was ours for the period of time and a great respite from the hustle and bustle of the souks.

The balance of the trek and city was great for us, kids saw all kinds of things in both places that really opened their eyes. Weather was very kind to us so it was an extra treat to have the sunshine.

It definitely felt like a real adventure and something that we’ll always remember as a family.

We had plenty of info from Tourdust and plenty of prompt replies as my queries popped up.

Everything was fab, I especially loved Tuningi such a special place and my son got to see his favourite animal the cheetah (after a bit of time hunting about on foot!). Mauritius is lovely we saw quite a bit of the island in the end.

We had a wonderful trip to Morocco. What a fascinating country. Thank you so much for all of your help making things smooth and less stressful!

Here are a few things we wanted to pass on:

Dar Housnia was absolutely delightful. It was like an entire wing of a house to ourselves with perfect Moroccan decor. The private area where we ate was so cute, the riad staff so accommodating. I loved waking in the cozy space with our family and hearing both call to prayer as well as roosters. Just perfect.

I was a little unclear how to ask what time we were being picked up etc, but your office promptly replied to my emails - even on weekends- when we had these questions about transport times. Once, we met our guide in Imlil these details we not problematic as our guide “Abraham” totally took care of us. Abraham was awesome. You should definitely request him again in the future. He was young (29)and energetic. He had a ton of hiking experience in Imlil as he was from there. He also seemed to know everything else about morocco, the desert, the culture, etc, etc. He was approachable, kind, patient, great with our kids and answered SO MANY of our questions.

The hike was lovely - after rain the day prior in Marrakech - there was snow in the mountains. It was gorgeous. We may have been up for a longer hike up Mt Taboukel if I had known this was a realistic option for families ( I thought from reading that it was too technical for us). Yet not sure we had enough days for all these things always since getting in the desert was a priority.

The mountain house, Dar adar, was just as described… very basic. The wifi was broken (which was a nice break when you have pre-teens addicted to phones, plus my husband called no wifi an amenity to not be available by email for his work!)). There was no heat and the fireplace helped a tad - but was so very cold in the rooms. My husband loved the rustic space, I may have gone up one step in niceness of mountain accommodation if I had to do it over again. Yet, meeting the other families in this Dar Adar (including another Tourdust family from England) made this house very memorable.

We were then joined by our driver for the next several days, Jamal. What a fun guy and a perfect driver. He could joke with my kids, he had a fun smile, and he had worked with Abraham before so they were a great team. The drive to desert was long as I knew it would be. It was nice to have the stop on way there near Ait Ben Haddu. The drive back from desert was long. It was more near 10 hours of driving (plus 1 hour at lunch = 11 hours) but I wouldn’t have made any different choices.

The luxury desert camp was far and away the highlight of our trip. The tents were adorable, I was sufficiently warm even at night inside the tent. We loved the camel riding, the ATV vehicles at a nearby camp, sunsets on the dunes, music around the camp fire, meals with others at the camp and more.

The last night was at Riad Jona. This was so very very lovely. The food was amazing - such a good idea to eat here after our long drive back to Marrakech. They had a small dining pool plus a hot tub which was delightful. It was almost more of a boutique hotel as it had several rooms.

The trip was amazing everything was better than we could have imagined.
There was a moment climbing the mount Kenya where my wife accused me of tricking her into doing this (half kidding) as some of the nights got pretty cold, but we were dressed well and the sunrise at the peak was astonishing.
Safari was spectacular, Ben who was our main guide and driver was awesome! We saw everything excepts rhinos which were more of a hope than a reality. We also were able to watch a rock python eat a Thompson gazel live. It was one of the most interesting and unsettling things I have ever seen.
Just overall, so many moments that make you think wow or I can't believe I am here. Thank you for your help in getting everything set up. I don't believe I could have booked the trip without your help and guidance. It was an amazing way to start our marriage and truly the trip of a lifetime!

Self-driving was brilliant, and the chronology of the itinerary was perfect (against the flow/direction most other travelers took).

As for specifics:

OKONJIMA
This place was the best!
Best service, best staff, best food, best experiences, best facilities.
We saw a cheetah kill, leopards, and white rhino (which we were not expecting).
If you’ve never been you should go...If I ever go back to Namibia I will revisit.

EMANYA
The only (slight) disappointment.
Maybe because it was right after Okonjima, but the service was lacking, the facilities were a bit run down, it was the only place with mosquitoes in the room with no net and no spray. Food was marginal. Not sure if there are better options in the area, though.

OKAUKEUJO
Etosha Park was amazing. There was so much wildlife with so little crowds.
The Okaukeujo Camp had the best watering hole with animals coming in at all times of the night. A great experience exclusive to the camp.

DORO NAWAS
Beautiful place. Very private. Food and service excellent.
A nice stopping point on the drive.

SPITZKOPPE
An amazing place...How they laid out and built it.
Enjoyed exploring the grounds and the local area/sights.
The staff was on par with Okonjima.
2 days were perfect.

Ivin provided us with good advice/information/recommendations along the route, along with a cell phone and cooler for the trip. The car was perfect.
They represent Tourdust well!

All the accommodation was great especially having the family rooms, I think our favourite place was the maramboi tented camp - everything about it was spot on, the location and service was excellent!
The only negative feedback I could give was the amount of time spent in the jeep, I hadn’t quite realised how much travel there was! But it’s a minor point, Haji our guide was excellent and constantly pointed out things of interest along the way.

Both our guides were fine, did a good job, walked at a good pace for our group. Kept a close eye on us on the last night and helped me keep going even when not feeling well. Only thing i would say is that they weren't overly friendly. Felt a bit like they spoke to us enough to sort of do their job and make conversation but sort of expected that they might be a bit more friendly and enthusiastic. Might have been due to the fact we were two girls though? Didn't really stop us enjoying it, just would have been nice! 4/5

Considering your on a mountain the food was good and there was a lot of it. Though this became a bit of a problem as we felt so much pressure to eat it, not once did we finish all the food that was provided, and felt bad about the waste. Perhaps the cook needs to be more open to changing the portions of food he cooks depending on how much people eat! 4/5

All the information from tourdust through booking was excellent. We had plenty of information to help decide the route and to prepare for the climb. Though we were advised to take water purifying tablets, but actually they already purified the water. And walking poles were an optional extra however we were advised they were essential on arrival and had to rent some. 5/5

Our guide, Frederick was excellent and very knowledgeable, definitely a 5. The meals were great and the quantity of food slightly overwhelming on occasion! The service and effort put into presentation far exceeded out expectations